When Joel Pineiro beat the Texas Rangers last week, some people were ready to name him the new ace of the Mariners. There was even talk that he’s finally among the elite starting pitchers in the American League.
Puh-leeeze.
Yes, Pineiro made the slugging Rangers look a lot like the puny-hitting Mariners.
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And yes, he showed no fear with any of his pitches, which drew comparisons to the mindset Roger Clemens brings to the mound.
But has Pineiro suddenly rounded the corner and joined the neighborhood of the truly dominant starters in the game?
Let’s revisit that one at the end of the season.
Pineiro is on a nice streak right now, having pitched well in his last four starts and won three of them. He has thrown his fastball with confidence and gotten ahead in the count with it, then used his sharp-breaking curveball to get hitters out. He isn’t being hammered by the big inning like he was early this season.
After a 1-7 start, it has been a nice turnaround for a pitcher the Mariners believe will become something special.
But let’s give the guy room to keep growing. He’s only 25 and still learning how to use his considerable talent.
When Pineiro pitches for an entire season like he has the past month, when he’s a consistent threat to win 20 games, then it will be time to link him with the elite.
Judgment calls
* It’s too late for him to save the Mariners’ season, but Bret Boone is going to hack his way out of his hitting slump. He did it the last two years when he hit much better in July than he did in June.
“He works hard and he’s trying to get past it, and if history is an indication, he will,” Mariners manager Bob Melvin said.
That’s why Boone’s name continues to swirl in trade speculation. He will hit for some team down the stretch, either the Mariners or a contender.
* The trickle of pitching prospects from Class AAA Tacoma has started, with rookie Travis Blackley now in the Mariners’ rotation.
Why not Gil Meche?
Despite solid numbers – a 1-1 record with a 3.42 ERA in five starts – Meche hasn’t found the consistency at Tacoma that he and the Mariners demand before they will bring him back to Seattle. He has pitched well in some starts but struggled with his mechanics in others.
And when mechanics bug Meche, it affects him mentally to the point where the problems compound.
“You can’t go out there thinking about mechanical stuff,” Melvin said. “When you go into a game at this (the major league) level, it’s all about competing against the guy you’re competing against.”
That’s why.
* Using the Cardinals’ Scott Rolen as a human measuring stick, it’s easy to see what has failed in the Mariners’ offense this season.
Entering the Cardinals-Mariners series this weekend, Rolen had 76 RBI. The Mariners’ Bret Boone, Edgar Martinez and John Olerud had 85 combined.
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